The deep sea is home to some of the most bizarre and horrifying creatures on Earth, but one of these elusive predators recently made a rare appearance near the ocean’s surface. A humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii)—a species known as a black seadevil—was spotted off the coast of Tenerife. This terrifying deep-sea fish is typically found at depths of 200 to 2,000 meters and is rarely seen alive.
Condrik – Tenerife, an NGO conducting a shark research expedition, made the sighting. Marine biologists Laia Valor, Marc Martín, Antonio Sabuco, and wildlife photographer David Jara were on board the research vessel Glaucus when they noticed something unusual in the water: a living humpback anglerfish floating near the surface in broad daylight.
The NGO described the terrifying deep-sea fish as “a legendary creature that few people will ever have the privilege of observing alive.” The team quickly recorded footage of the deep-sea predator, which was later shared on Instagram and other places.
The humpback anglerfish is a true nightmare of the deep. Its huge, gaping mouth is filled with needle-like teeth, and its dorsal appendage glows with bioluminescent bacteria, used to lure unsuspecting prey in the darkness of the deep sea.
But despite its horrifying appearance, this species remains one of the most mysterious deep-sea dwellers, rarely seen outside its natural habitat. Further, despite looking so terrifying, humpback anglerfish only get put to eight inches long—roughly five times smaller if male.
Scientists are unsure why this terrifying deep-sea fish ventured so close to the surface. However, there are a couple of distinct possibilities, including some kind of illness or injury, an upwelling current that forced it to the shallows, or even some other unknown environmental factor—perhaps something driven by climate change.
Regardless of the cause, the researchers called the sighting a once-in-a-lifetime event and a reminder of how little we truly know about the ocean depths.
